Abstract
Objective: To objective of the study was to investigate whether serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels are associated with the severity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in Parkinson's disease (PD).Methods: A total of 249 PD patients with (n = 53) and without RLS (n = 196) and 326 age-matched controls were included in this study. All the serum BDNF levels of the participants were measured. The International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Rating Scale (IRLSSG-RS) was administered for the severity of RLS. The severity of PD patients were assessed by the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn and Yahr (H-Y) stage.Results: The prevalence of RLS was significantly higher in PD patients (21.3%) than in the controls group (7.4%) (p < 0.05). The IRLSSG-RS score in PD patients with RLS (16.25 ± 5.24) was significantly increased than in controls with RLS (12.08 ± 3.99) (p < 0.01). The serum BDNF levels were significantly decreased in PD patients with RLS than in PD patients without RLS, controls without RLS, and controls with RLS (p < 0.001). BDNF levels were negatively associated with IRLSSG-RS in both PD patients with RLS and controls with RLS group (both p < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis confirmed that in either PD with RLS or controls with RLS group, BDNF was an independent contributor to IRLSSG-RS (both p < 0.01).Conclusions: Decreased serum BDNF levels may be involved in the pathophysiology of RLS in PD, suggesting that it may serve as a potential blood biomarker of diagnostic value for RLS in PD.
Highlights
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor disorder characterized by extreme discomfort due to irresistible urges to move the legs [1]
Our results showed that Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were negatively correlated with International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG)-RS in both the Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with RLS and the controls with RLS
Further multiple regression analysis confirmed that in either PD with RLS or controls with the RLS group, BDNF was an independent contributor to IRLSSG-RS
Summary
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor disorder characterized by extreme discomfort due to irresistible urges to move the legs [1]. The symptoms worsen during rest, mainly at night, and the symptoms can be at least partially and temporarily relieved by physical activity [2, 3]. Various previous studies have found that the prevalence rate of RLS was higher in PD patients than in the general population, affecting 10–50% of parkinsonian patients [7,8,9,10,11]. Several studies have suggested that RLS is a possible preclinical marker of PD. Decreased Serum BDNF in PD With RLS [12]. Most genetics and pathology studies point to a strong association between RLS and PD [13]
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